Higosha Banteki
Higosha is a Shinigami of the Gotei 13 as well as the former Captain of the 11th Division. Appearance Approximately 6 feet 6 inches, with a lean but toned body. Higosha has dark black hair that he wears free of any hair tie, allowing it to fall freely in front of his face. It is shoulder length and somewhat soft, straight and normally hanging limply. In the light, it looks like a dark brown but in the dark it is pitch black. His eyes are a piercing silver that often have a fire lit behind them revealing the emotions as he does not allow his face to show most emotion. It can also be described as gun metal silver or a molten gray. Disregarding the normal Shinigami wardrobe, Higosha wears dark black leather pants, a black v-necked shirt and a long black coat that has short sleeves and is often worn open, allowing the coat to trail behind him. Around his neck a cross is worn on a metal chain allow to hang freely and move with him. His Haori is sleeveless and worn over the top of his black coat, there are a few rips and tears from normal use but not so much that he has to get a new haori every ten minutes. His reiatsu is black as night and often can be seen as dark blue-purple if seen in the day. Now, due to recent events, Higosha has no arms. Instead, he has metal arms made for him by Sumiko that are controlled by reiatsu. They are black in appearance and give a dull shine in the sunlight. The fingers are long and can be used as weapons if he so wished to do so as they are quite sharp and nimble. Personality Before the death of his wife, Higosha was far less serious than he is now. He would speak to those that were talking to him and he would joke and cut up with them. At times, it seemed as though he had a never ending smile, one that was rather sweet and sometimes dark. He was still rather quiet and withdrawn almost to the point of being seen as a mute or deaf man but he truly wasn't. There could sometimes be a thoughtful look on his face but he was usually just wondering about how far he could chuck something or even just counting how many times he'd have to strike to cut something down. It wasn't that he was a extrovert, he was still somewhat to himself but not so much that he wouldn't be social. He is quite protective of those who cannot defend themselves and finds that those victimizing those people are scum that should be cut down with extreme prejudice. If he would see these kinds of acts, he would immediately step in and do what he could to defend people. Since the death of his wife, however, Higosha has become an introvert. He shows little to no emotion on his face or in his voice and, at first glance, seems to be an extremely cold and hateful person. In reality, he's simply been too hurt and does not wish to be messed with. If someone is able to get to know him and see past all of the walls he has put up around himself, it can be seen that he is a very caring man. Higosha often puts himself in danger for those allies that need to escape safely, finding that if he doesn't perform to the best of his ability, he would feel immensely guilty since he knew he could have helped them. Higosha has a great sense of honor and pride. If his honor is insulted, he will no longer respect those who have blemished his honor in any way. He feels that the only true way to gain honor is to fight for it and through that, he gains his pride. Defending the honor of others also is a huge thing for Higosha, if he feels that someone he considers a friend or family member is personally affronted and he knows they cannot fight for themselves, he will step in and take the offender head-on. History Once, Long ago, in the most northern part of district 80 north, a small child was born to two parents who wanted nothing to do with him. As they were already struggling to stay alive themselves they couldn’t take on the responsibility of having not only another mouth to feed, but someone else to take care of. After several days the two parents make the hardest decision of their lives. They abandon the small child in an alley way early one morning. With a final kiss upon his forehead his father speaks the only words he has ever said to him. “If you want to live, you must grow strong. Stronger than both you mother and I, Stronger than everyone else.” The silver eyed child looks up at the man and smiles, giving a small childish giggle as the two parents walk away, expecting never to see the boy again. After a few moments of them being gone, the child begins to cry for his parents, yet they ignore his cry struggling with every ounce of will they have to leave him there. Hours passed. Curious people hearing the cry of the baby would enter the alley to check it out, and walk away again leaving the child for someone else to take care of. Hungry and tired after hours of crying, he finally slowly calms down and begins to drift to sleep. it is at this point that a gang of people decide to make their way past. This group was known for terrorizing the citizens of north 80. One of the lower members of the group had heard the cries, seen the child and decided it might be worth telling the boss about. Wanting to see this for himself, the group had waited until the child calmed down before making their way to him. Collecting the child in his arms, the leader smiled a vicious smile down at the young child, feeling the potential in him. Turning to the group he gave them an evil grin. “We shall raise this child as our slave. Give him a few years and we can make him do all the work for us hahaha” As the group laughed, the twinkling of silver could be seen deeper in the alley, before just like it appeared, it was gone. Years passed and the young child grew slowly. Slower than most and this caused many problems for him growing up. The gang members would often beat the boy, because he could not yet hold his own weight in work. Being so small still he resorted to pick pocketing what he could from the members of the nearby districts, yet it was still not enough to satisfy the gang members. After several years of this, beatings everyday and nearly starving the leader decided that he had had enough of this child and he wasn’t worth the trouble. Taking him out one afternoon to a secluded part of the district, they began the worst beating yet, intending to kill the young child. The boy, having endured many beatings before, knew how to roll with the punches and kicks to avoid most of the pain, yet it wasnt enough. The gang grew more and more violent until the boy could no longer move and just took the hits. It was then that the clopping of wooden sandals could be heard on the road leading to where they were. A man, dressed completely in black, with a straw hat tucked down over his eyes and a sword in his hand walks towards the gang of men. The young child doesn’t remember what happened over the next few moment. All he remembers is suddenly being picked up by the man with silver eyes, and being carried away from the bloody scene that lay before him now. The young child, broken and battered is carried for what seems an eternity to him, before being laid down. wincing from the pain the boy lost consciousness. Waking days later, the boy is covered in bandages, yet not a mark remains on his body. Looking around he notices the silver eyed man, leaning against the nearby wall watching him. Without saying a word the man throws a sheathed sword. Thus the training began. Years passed, and the man would continually train the boy, only resting long enough to sleep or eat. The man never spoke a word. Neither good nor bad. Not a single word. The only discipline are the cuts that now covered the boys body, having never been given time to fully heal. Day upon day the man trains the boy until he himself cannot even beat him. It is on this day, 500 years after saving the boys life, 500 years of training in martial arts, that the man gives him a new blade. Turning around the man speaks the only words that the boy has ever heard. “Go. I can teach you no more. Go to the Shinigami academy and become greater, Higosha Banteki.” Turning back towards the wall, having fulfilled his life’s goal the man dissipates into reiatsu, leaving the boy alone again. Making his way through the districts, south towards the Shinigami academy, Higosha speaks not a word to anyone. Many times he is attacked again by thugs, yet he leaves them wounded on the side of the road, so that they may never harm anyone again. Finally making his way to the academy entrance, not being able to read nor write he struggles through those portions of the entrance exam, however, when the fighting portions come, he dominates the fights. Beating even the head fighting instructor. Deciding that he would be a great addition they accept him and his training begins. It is decided that while they will teach him to read and to write, he will in turn train the academy students in the many martial arts he knows. The first two years of his training at the academy are spent teaching martial arts and learning to read and write, yet when he became fluent enough at both he quickly makes his way through the classes, graduating with the class he joined with even after falling two years behind. Rather than directly joining the Gotei 13 he instead stays on at the academy for an additional 4 years, training the new recruits. However that all changes the day he met the 1st kenpachi. The man, ruthless as he was strong, came to the academy and began to ruthlessly beat the students, trying to find the ones strong enough to enter the 11th. Higosha, reminded of his past stands before the man, protecting the remaining students. Standing up to him the man laughs in his face, “You think yourself worthy of me?!?” Stoically, he says nothing. Only draws his blade and drops the man where he stands. “Worthy? No, but nor are you worthy of even looking upon my students.” This was how it all began, the day Higosha took his title. Many event have led up to where he is now, including the day he met the man he calls his son, and the meeting and death of his wife, yet through it all he stands. Fighting for those weaker than himself, for is that not what his strength is for? Character Threads Powers and Abilities Master Swordsman: The 500 years he spent training with his mst has made him a near expert of nearly ever sword fighting style that is known in both soul society and the human realm. Proficient with nearly any form of bladed weapon Higosha's prefered choice is the sword. Hakuda Master: Alone with his swordsman training his master also taught him to fight unarmed, teaching him nearly everything he know, making him a master of several dozens of martial arts and a true master of fighting. Kido practitioner: Not as proficient at kido s most, Higosha has put many hours of training into the one kido he uses ore than any other. Hado #72 Kobushi. High Spiritual Pressure: As a Senior Captain level Shinigami, Higosha has an extremely high level of Spiritual pressure, capable of crushing even some lieutenant class Shinigami, if completely realeased in their proximity. Hoho Practitioner: While not as fast as many members of the Gotei 13 Higosha has still trained and is able to use Shunpo both in and out of battle. Blood Sense: As Higosha's Zanpakuto is a blood based one, after mastering it, Higosha has found that he can do simple manipulations of it even unreleased. His body also constantly produces blood, that will often be shed through his tear ducts or when he coughs. Zanpakutō - Inner World Higosha's inner world is rather dark and quiet. Possibly nearly soundless if not for the water from the ocean that washes up on the shores of the beach. There are four moons that can be seen at all times, the largest being in an eternal eclipse, two in full state and one in a slight crescent. The clouds around them glow with a gentle purple from the surpeme darkness of Higosha's reiatsu. In the distance, a storm in a far off patch of the ocean can be seen striking the waters of his inner world, signifying the inner conflicts and tumultuous past that he's had as well as the pain he's gone through from different instances in his living life. If one were to take a glimpse to the left, there is a warmth there that burns with an orange hue, looking very much like an industrial park from the human world. There's a darkened, desolate city next to it that is in limbo between the near sunrise on the left and the eternal night on the right. Due to recent events, Higosha's inner world has become darker and far more dangerous than before. The storm that was on the ocean moved in and formed into a neverending hurricane, sending bolts of destructive lightning at the ground to decimate the soil of his inner world. The rage at what happened to him has effected his inner world, becoming far more hateful and destructive than before, especially considering that the storm had been far less immense than it is currently. After the reveal of his true abilities, the ocean tht washes up upon the shore, and the water that falls from the storm has turned to blood. Ketsukihime Unlike other zanpakuto, Ketsukihime's hilt is encased in oaken wood with very little superfluous decorations. There's a gentle curve to the blade and the sheath is made of the same material as the hilt. It can be easy to decipher exactly what the sword is from looking at it, however it is also streamlined to the point of being mistaken for a slightly curved walking stick. Shikai Release command: Suffer In Shikai state, Higosha’s blade retains it’s normal unreleased appearance. From the point where the blade connects to the tsuba, blood oozes down the blade. At first, it looks like a gentle trickle but as he continues fighting and drawing blood from the opponent, it begins coming faster and faster. Eventually, it would be quite easy for him to fling it into someone’s eyes or in their face if he so desired. This blood is the basis of his zanpakuto, it is the blood of all the ones he’s cut down in the past come to help him with joining more to their ranks as the spirits of those people are trapped within the hilt of his zanpakuto, making it much more easy for the blood to come at his command. Since the sword is so normal looking, it can be quite a surprise to those who have never faced him, making him look much more like a murderous killer than he most likely intends. This is not entirely on purpose given his personality but it does help that his zanpakuto spirit is also showing herself through this, even though she’s quite timid inside his inner world. Blood Blade Manipulation By manipulating the blood that flows from inside of the blade, Higosha sheaths his sword and uses the blood pooled inside to change the shape of his blade. This ability requires concentration so that he can change the shape of the blade, if that concentration is broken, he must repool the blood and start all over again. It takes up to 25 seconds, or one turn, to pool enough blood for this to be used. Blood Poison The blood that flows from his blade has poisonous effect much like those of Hemotoxin. Hemotoxins, haemotoxins or hematotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells (that is, cause hemolysis), disrupt blood clotting, and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. The term hemotoxin is to some degree a misnomer since toxins that damage the blood also damage other tissues. Injury from a hemotoxic agent is often very painful and can cause permanent damage and in severe cases death. Loss of an affected limb is possible even with prompt treatment. When his blade cuts through the skin and the blood on his blade mixes with the opponent’s own, it slows the clotting almost to a stop, causing blood to flow freely. After enough of the poison, from 130–250 mg to 150–250 mg to 21–268 mg, is in an enemies system it can cause temporary paralysis as it begins to eat at their muscles, and if too much is injected, even death. Effects of Venom: Bleeding is a common symptom, especially from the gums and in the urine, and sputum may show signs of blood within 20 minutes post-slash. Blistering occurs at the site of the slash, developing along the affected limb in severe cases. Necrosis is usually superficial and limited to the muscles near the slash, but may be severe in extreme cases. Vomiting and facial swelling occur in about one-third of all cases. Kidney failure also occurs in 25-30% of all untreated slashes. Severe disseminated intravascular coagulation also can occur in severe envenomations. Early medical treatment and early access to antivenom being the same as that from a Daboia/Russell’s Viper can prevent and drastically reduce the chance of developing the severe/potentially lethal complications. Severe pain may last for 2–4 weeks. Locally, it may persist depending on the level of tissue damage. Often, local swelling peaks within 48–72 hours, involving both the affected limb and the trunk. If swelling up to the trunk occurs within 1–2 hours, massive envenomation is likely. Discoloration may occur throughout the swollen area as red blood cells and plasma leak into muscle tissue. Death from septicaemia, kidney, respiratory or cardiac failure may occur 1 to 14 days post-slash or even later. Bankai Fukushū no Ketsukihime: Revenge of the Bloody Princess Upon entering Bankai, several changes occur both to the Zanpakuto and to Higosha himself. The first of which being the blade of the Zanpakuto melts away, becoming blood itself, from the tip of the blade to the end of the pommel. The blood that it becomes, wraps itself around Higosha’s arms, looking almost like bandages or ribbons wrapping their way up to his elbows. At this point, Higosha’s body is sent into overdrive. His body rapidly begins to create blood inside of his body at an alarming rate (more so than usual), so much that if there are no cuts on his body from which it might flow, it begins to damage his body severely. Even with many lacerations upon his body there is still such an over abundance of blood that it begins seeping from his eye sockets, making it look as though he’s crying blood, as well as any orifice from the waist and above. The blood that seeps from his body, rather than just trickling down towards the floor, winds its way along his body connecting itself to the bandages wrapped around his forearms, seeping into it, before dripping from the ends of the bandages forming a pool of blood at his feet. Higosha’s shikai wraps further up his arms and attach to his forearms to allow for better control while he’s fighting. The ribbons become thicker so that they’re more whiplike and thin out toward the ends to fall into multiple strands, greatly resembling a cat o’nine tails. There are small few sword sharp shards of his zanpakuto inside of them to cause muscle and flesh damage when they strike. Higosha has to take on a whip-boxing type of fighting style by continually moving and wrapping his whips around zanpakutos to tug them out of others hands to then use the sword against the other person. This also allows him more movement in the way of parkour-like abilities. He can move around all over the environment to perform complicated acrobatics and flashy but painful damage. In bankai, he’s far more graceful than when fighting normally and, if one’s not on his bad side, he can be very enjoyable to watch while he’s fighting. Parasitic Hell Higosha creates a pool of blood around the feet of himself and his opponent using his bankai whips. This blood is like tar and makes it difficult for the other to move in, affecting their Hoho stat but not by much. The blood being controlled by Higosha moves up the opponent’s legs and attaches to their skin being affected by whether his rei and buk are higher than their rei and han to move into the pores be thrown off with high enough rei until it moves into the opponent’s bloodstream to leave little parasites of his reiatsu, very similar to small ringworms or tapeworms, so that he can use his reiatsu to attempt to destroy them from within. If his rei is higher than their han, the opponent can experience tremendous pain even if they’re just a few stat points behind him. This can be thrown off in the beginning stages with high enough reiatsu and, if they can get out of the blood pool fast enough, it won’t affect them. The tendrils of blood have about a four foot reach and the pool itself can be up to 25 feet in diameter. Statistics